Women from across Anguilla assembled at the Soroptimist Club Hall on Monday, March 8, for a rally and luncheon to observe International Women’s Day during which a number of persons delivered addresses.

Women at the Soroptimist Club Centre

Principal Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Kenneth Hodge, brought greetings from the Minister of Home Affairs with responsibility for Gender Affairs, Mr. Walcott Richardson, who had a prior commitment.

Mr. Hodge noted that the occasion was being marked by rallies, seminars and assemblies around the world and that the function in Anguilla was in keeping with those activities. “I believe that women in Anguilla have much to rejoice about even though the struggle is far from over,” he observed. “We are continuing to see women take the forefront in leadership roles in the public and private sectors, the church and in our legislature.”

He took the opportunity to reiterate the commitment of the Ministry of Gender Affairs to all gender-based activities during the year. He stressed that efforts would continue to revive the somewhat dormant National Council of Women. “This work started in November last year and the Ministry will continue to play its role in having this umbrella organisation fully constituted once again,” he added. “It will require the support of all our women’s groups and organisations, but the benefits to be derived from having this organisation are too important to see it remain dormant.”

Speaker of the House of Assembly, Mrs. Barbara Webster-Bourne, noted that the theme for International Women’s Day was Equal Rights, Equal Opportunities and Progress for All. “It is fitting to acknowledge the many contributions that women have made to Anguilla’s development and to recognise their potential to drive change in our society, where many challenges exist not only for women, for our youth as well,” she stated.
She pointed out that while she was honoured and humbled by the support and recognition accorded to her by the women folk, she believed that the honour belonged to a number of strong women in the Anguilla Revolution. Shed named some of them as being Daisy “Juan” Richardson, Mildred Vanterpool and the late Doreen Duncan. She also paid tribute to Adella Richardson, Clerk of the House of the Assembly, for her hard work behind the scenes.

“Our women play many roles, not only in the successful day- to-day running of the household, but in the successful operation of many establishments,” she stressed. “They are our mothers, grandmothers, aunts, caretakers and, in some instances, our women even play the role of the father. Therefore, we owe them a tremendous amount of respect and gratitude.”

Programme Officer with the Soroptimist Club, Brenda Carty, was pleased with the involvement of her organisation in International Women’s Day and she noted that this year was a special one for Soroptimists who were celebrating 75 years of service. She said that there were various committees of the organisation which were aimed at ensuring that women and girls enjoyed equity and equality, lived in safe and healthy environments, had access to education and possessed leadership and practical skills.

Mrs. Carty spoke about a number of initiatives being undertaken by Soropotimist International including the Anguilla branch. Among those she mentioned was a pre-school in Sri Lanka which was built by funds, raised in Anguilla, totalling US$20,000 following the tsunami in South East Asia. The school had a monthly maintenance cost of US$200 also provided by the Soroptimists of Anguilla. The school accommodates 34 children, two teachers and a supervisor.
President of the National Council of Women, Ernie Hodge-Carty, joined others in hailing the election of Mrs. Barbara Webster-Bourne as the Speaker of the House of Assembly, assured her of the support of the women of Anguilla and praised the courage and achievements of other women of the island.

Mrs. Hodge-Carty encouraged the Anguilla women of the future to find their niche in their quest for equal rights, equal opportunities and progress for all. She went on: “In September 2000, the United Nations made a declaration of eight millennium goals to be achieved by the year 2015. These goals are to eradicate poverty and hunger; achieve universal primary education; gender equality; reduce child mortality; improve maternal health; combat HIV/AIDS; ensure environmental sustainability; and develop global partnerships. These eight fundamental issues impact each of us and while we expect our respective governments to honour their commitment, each of us has a role to play.”

One of two other speakers, before the feature address, was President of the Anguilla Teachers Union, Emma Ferguson, who outlined the role of her organisation and its responsibilities at looking after the interests and rights of many female members as well as male teachers. The other speaker, Patricia Beard, formerly National Coordinator of the Aids Committee, spoke of HIV infection and the percentage of women with the disease caused by various forms of sexual exploitation. She emphasised the need for protection and the education of children to combat the spread of the disease.

The feature address was delivered by the UWI Open University Resident Tutor in Anguilla, Carla Harris-Pascal. She congratulated the Soroptimist Club of Anguilla and the National Council of Women for keeping alive the focus on women’s issues, contributions and achievements in Anguilla, the region and world-wide and helping to transform the society into a more equitable one.

She was pleased that Anguilla had its first woman in the role of Speaker of the House of Assembly, in the person of Mrs. Barbara Webster-Bourne. She noted that two other women, Donna Banks and Keesha Webster-Carty, were Nominated Members previously and she praised “the courageous attempts of Cora Richardson and Pam Webster in their electoral aspiration to leadership in political office. She said that although they did not win, they were an inspiration to young women to aspire to leadership. She also made reference to the late Albena Lake-Hodge and the late Idahlia Gumbs who were elected as Ministers of Government as well as others such as Blondelle Rodgiers, Orealia Kelly and Ophelia Richardson who had dared to contest elections but without winning.

Switching from political leadership, Mrs. Harris-Pascal examined personal leadership issues, calling attention to health and sexuality, HIV/AIDS in which women were more susceptible to infection than men; obesity, leading to diabetes, hypertension and certain cancers; and mental health where there was gender inequality.

In summing up her presentation, she stated in part: “I tried to show that as women we need to take up the mantle of leadership, not only in our political and professional lives, but also in our personal lives. It comes down to the most fundamental right to care our bodies in a healthy, life-engendering manner. Our example and our willingness to interact with young people is one way we will teach discipline and personal responsibility. It is the most effective way to encourage young women to value themselves and to take responsibility for their bodies whether it be their sexual health, mental health or management of their weight.”

The Vote of Thanks was delivered by woman activist and former Principal Assistant Secretary in the Chief Minister’s Office for Human Rights and Gender Affairs, Lana Hoyoung.

| Printer-friendly page | Send this article to a friend |

World News